Who was that team?

The Blue Jackets played the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday night before a sold out crowd. We got freebies from the Chiller and sat in 227. I had to work the Thomas Worthington vs. Worthington Kilbourne basketball game so we were arriving just before faceoff and found little parking and scalpers getting close to face value. Very surprising after the last game and very poor player effort. The crowd was up and so were the Blue Jackets. A much better effort, but I'm not going to forget that egg they laid against LA. I have tickets to a couple more games and am considering purchasing for several more if the team that showed up against Philly becomes reality. Check them out.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all the bloggers that happen to stop by. Its been a great year and I'm enjoying a few days of rest from the hockey season. We went to a Blue Jackets game the other evening and it was horrible. The team never showed up. The crowd even chanted "Wake Up Jackets" instead of "Lets Go Jackets". A real letdown with a 3-0 loss. We will be heading back on Saturday as the Flyers come to town. Lets hope they show up then. Thanks to Pepsi and Giant Eagle we will also be there for Adam Foote's return to Columbus if he dresses for the game on January 13th. Be sure to buy 4 12 packs of Pepsi products at Giant Eagle to get your coupon for 4 tickets to any game before March 3rd.

Once again Merry Christmas to all except the CBJ. You guys need to get it together. Your inflated paychecks are your gifts...

The NHL has it in for the Columbus Blue Jackets

I now know that I've seen it all from the the NHL. Last night the CBJ won the game against Dallas. Only the NHL decided that we didn't. See for yourself here. Probably the worst call of any sport I've ever seen. The real shame here is that they use the super slow motion when this play happened at about 15-20 mph and Manny Malholtra's head was in front of his body. Try to kick with your head leaning forward in front of your body. Its physically impossible. Its called Kinesiology NHL. Try learning about it. For whatever reason the NHL has chosen to stick it to the CBJ in the War Room. Its been going on for years, but this took it to a new level. Ken Hitchcock got it right--We won this game.

I've fallen...

About 3 weeks ago I slipped on some ice on the front porch while preparing to drive the kids out to the bus in the rain. It had been sub zero for several days and the cold turned the rain to ice on the bricks which was not obvious. I went flying and landed on my back with the edge on the middle step gouging into my lower back. Needless to say it hurt. Well it still hurts alot. About the only thing that has helped have been nightly Lidoderm pads that were destined for my shoulder. What is it about me that I need to have pain on multiple levels? Between multiple shoulder and foot surgeries all I needed was more distress. Nothing I do makes it feel better. Its back pain and fortunately I've not had to deal with alot over the years. The one episode I had took months to get rid of. I just need a magic genie to grant me a wish.

Jumbo Shrimp

The first real snow of the year is always a bad thing here in central Ohio. All the people that drive everyday suddenly forget how to drive and feel the need to crash or come damn close. Normally you won't find me out on this day. Well today was not a normal day. I skipped Poppy's hockey game this morning with a headache and had already promised to deliver a piece of exercise equipment that I sold on craigslist. This 125 pound stairmaster needed to go to its new home in C-Bus. Oh boy. Snow driving 101 is no biggie for me. Its like racing in the rain. Slow down to go faster. Nobody else gets it. I must admit it was rather icy out, but i spent more time watching the idiots around me crashing and spinning than I did looking out the mirror. A totally exhausting journey.

Well the report on Frudoch is he made the Select Team called the North Stars. He was so excited and the joys he felt was contagious. His goal this year was to make the North Stars and he did it. Passing numerous kids that last year just schooled him. He worked really hard over the summer to elevate his game and so many of his former teammates parents noticed the improvement. Those summer camps really paid off. He will get his fill of hockey this winter. The question is will I be able to deal with it. Poppy had her final tryout last night for the mite Select team and she did much better. During the scrimmage she played excellent defense and was able to move the puck and reverse the flow several times. She is really starting to get it. I don't think her overall play was enough to make it, but they knew she was there.

So stepping away from hockey for a moment. This week I take over as Regional Executive of our chapter of the SCCA. It's my first term on the BOD and I am excited. Now the economy might make for a pretty rough year. I have some plans and cool things to announce later. I gotta go to sleep as Frudoch has a game Sunday.

Hockey Season has Begun....

And oh how after only a month and a half I'm exhausted. This year Poppy joined Frudoch in playing ice hockey. She has done a great job. So good in fact that after playing only 2 games she was asked to try out for the Select Team. Poppy scored her first goal in her second ever game on a one timer. It was if she played the game for years. Throughout the first few weeks all the coaches kept asking her how many years she has played. They never believed her. While not the fastest player she uses her brain and plays really smart. Poppy does things her brother can't do like using the boards to avoid opponents. She just plays a smart game. Tonight she had the second round of Select tryouts and she is holding her own. I don't know whether she will make the team as there are some fantastic 8 year olds out there. I'm just happy she got the chance.

Frudoch has had a super start to year 2. He has scored in the first 2 games and has had probably 20 shots on goal in the first 3. His playing time has been almost exclusively on the forward line with just a couple shifts on defense. He learned some moves at a summer camp and uses them all the time with good success. He too was invited to tryout for Select team and thru tonight's second tryout he looks pretty good. Again I don't know what exactly the coaches are looking for, but he is doing well. Most other parents think he is a lock to make the team. I'll wait for the coaches to tell him that. All in all its been a wonder improvement over last year as he never was given an opportunity to really play last year. This year both kids have GREAT coaches and they are progressing each week.

I am exhausted though as we go to the ice rink monday, wednesday, friday,saturday, and sunday right now. Its alot of running and of course its cold. Then again with it being in the teens and twenties this last 2 weeks the rink feels cooler. I've even been nominated to bench coach for Poppy's team when the coach is with her other team. For 2 of the three games I've been the coach and its sorta fun except I can't really follow the game too much. Poppy loves it though.

F35 Goes Supersonic for the First Time

Accelerates To Mach 1.05 With Full Internal Payload Onboard

Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter felt the need... the need for SPEED! The advanced fighter aircraft flew supersonic for the first time last week, accelerating to Mach 1.05 (about 680 miles per hour) in testing November 13.

Lockheed says the test validated the F-35 Lightning II's capability to operate beyond the speed of sound and was accomplished with a full internal load of "dummy" weapons on the one-hour flight.
"The F-35 transitioned from subsonic to supersonic just as our engineers and our computer modeling had predicted," said Jon Beesley, Lockheed Martin's chief F-35 test pilot. "I continue to be impressed with the aircraft's power and strong acceleration, and I'm pleased that its precise handling qualities are retained in supersonic flight, even with a payload of 5,400 pounds (2,450 kilograms) in the weapons bays."

Beesley said it was also a significant achievement for a test aircraft to fly supersonic for the first time with the weight of a full internal load of weapons. The milestone was achieved on the 69th flight of F-35 aircraft AA-1.
For the test, Beesley climbed to 30,000 feet and accelerated to Mach 1.05, or about 680 miles per hour, over a rural area in north Texas. The F-35 accomplished four transitions through the sound barrier, spending a total of eight minutes in supersonic flight.

The flight was preceded by a high-subsonic mission earlier in the day. Future testing will gradually expand the flight envelope out to the aircraft's top speed of Mach 1.6, which the F-35 is designed to achieve with a full internal load of weapons.
F-35 AA-1, a conventional takeoff and landing variant (CTOL), and F-35 BF-1, a short takeoff/vertical landing variant (STOVL), together have combined for 83 test flights.

Euros to Allow "Wonky" Vegetables to be Sold

This story ran today on the BBC. Apparently the Euros have standards for their veggies. I have no idea why I found this entertaining, but it is little funny. Check it out before you go to a supermarket and find carrots with 3 tips or a crooked cucumber....




Regulations that stop strange-shaped fruit and vegetables being sold are about to be changed by the European Union. But are we willing to eat wonky veg?
When you see a carrot with two prongs, a knobbly potato or a blemished strawberry, does your stomach turn? Are you transported back to the That's Life episodes of your youth by the slightest morphological oddity in anything you eat?


Terms and conditions
If so, you are not going to like what the European Commission (EU) is about to do. Barring a surprise result in a vote, "marketing standards" for 26 vegetables are about to be repealed.
If there has been one truly effective stick to beat the EU with over the years, it has been the bizarre and Byzantine reams of regulation it is accused of promulgating.
The classic anti-EU story is that "faceless eurocrats" were banning the curved cucumber. It was all the more powerful for having a solid basis in truth. Namely, Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1677/88 of 15 June 1988.
Blemishes and discolourations
Class I cucumbers must "be reasonably well shaped and practically straight (maximum height of the arc: 10 mm per 10 cm of the length of cucumber)". Class II "slightly crooked cucumbers may have a maximum height of the arc of 20 mm per 10 cm of length of the cucumber".
These are allowed to have some blemishes and discolourations. Any cucumber more crooked must be packed separately and must be otherwise cosmetically perfect.

This potato is said to be one of the tastiest, but would you eat it?
So if a cucumber is crooked and has a blemish on it, it cannot be sold in a shop or market. It is allowed to go for processing, but often the cost of transport to a manufacturer is prohibitive and the produce is simply allowed to rot.
Carrots are in the same boat. Commission Regulation (EC) No 730/1999 of 7 April 1999 says they must be "not forked, free from secondary roots".
Commission Regulation (EC) No 85/2004 of 15 January 2004, any apple under 50mm in diameter or 70g in weight cannot be sold.
Every year tonnes of perfectly-edible produce across the EU is thrown away so that when you walk into the supermarket all you see is rank after serried rank of cosmetically perfect fruit and vegetables.
The first regulations were introduced across the EU in the 1980s and have been amended and supplemented since.
Amusing carrots
Michael Mann, the European Commission's Agriculture spokesman, notes that when the rules on fruit and vegetable standards were brought in 20 years ago the eurocrats were not inventing a new category of regulation, but merely seeking to standardise already existing laws across Europe.
And of course, member states have been responsible for deciding how to police and punish the fruit laws.

HOW RULES WILL CHANGE
Rules for 26 fruit and vegetable scrapped
Rules for 10 retained
But sub-rule produce can be sold in shops if labelled as "for processing" or similar formulation
Scrapped 26 are: Apricots, artichokes, asparagus, aubergines, avocadoes, beans, brussels sprouts, cauliflowers, cherries, courgettes, cucumbers, cultivated mushrooms, garlic, hazelnuts in shell, headed cabbage, leeks, melons, onions, peas, plums, ribbed celery, spinach, walnuts in shell, watermelons, witloof chicory
10 retained are: Apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuces and endives, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes, tomatoes
"We wouldn't encourage people to come down too heavily on people selling amusing carrots," says Mr Mann.
In the UK, enforcement is administered by the Rural Payments Agency. They deal with breaches of the marketing standards mainly by educating and warning the offending traders and suppliers, but there are "four or five" prosecutions a year.
Rotten produce for sale may be more likely to result in action than oddities of shape, but it remains the case that both are against the law.
Only in June, a trader in Bristol was stopped by the RPA from selling 520 kiwi fruit that were slightly too small.
In recent years, even supermarkets have been kicking against the regulations. Waitrose launched an "ugly" range of Class II produce for jam-making and cooking in 2006.
More recently Sainsbury's withdrew a promotion of discount Halloween-themed vegetables, saying they had realised managers could get a criminal record for selling non-standard produce. The supermarket also launched a campaign to "Save our Ugly Fruit and Veg". It estimated that, to take one example, 20% of British onion production is wasted because it fails to meet the standards. They lobbied EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel over the issue.
Authenticity
But Ms Boel already decided some time ago that the marketing standards had to be radically changed. By next summer, once member states have had time to put the changes into effect, wonky veg will be on supermarket shelves.
That is not to say, of course, that consumers will be rushing to buy this strange fruit.



These cucumbers are easily stacked and packed
Supermarkets are frequently blamed for pushing standardisation. Varieties are chosen for their durability or their appearance, and if size and shape are uniform, packaging is easier to make.
"People have been brainwashed into believing everything has to be a uniform size," says Geoff Stokes, secretary of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners.
"It has always struck me as more to do with the supermarkets wanting to package things easier, if everything is the same shape and the same size,"
But we've had years of cosmetically perfect vegetables. And the supermarkets which have chosen to sell only the most aesthetically pleasing items might argue they were only serving the desires of their customers.
And how many people always pick the cheaper, less cosmetically pleasing, Class II vegetables when they're out shopping?
Heritage
If there's anything that can break our conditioning for liking regular-shaped vegetables, it's the current economic climate and the increasing awareness of the environmental cost of food production.
"The idea is to avoid waste," says Mr Mann. "Economic times are hard. Why shouldn't people be allowed to go into supermarkets and get apples that are smaller and cheaper?"
The looming recession could well spark a market for misshapes when the law changes next summer, says Michael Barker, fresh foods correspondent of the Grocer magazine.
"When people are short of money the last thing we want to be doing is to be restricting the amount of fruit and vegetables we can sell. It may be stuff with blemishes, slightly misshapen, not that there's anything wrong with it.
"There is all sorts of anecdotal evidence that people are really much more interested in the authenticity and heritage at the moment."
Cookery shows have started paving the way for wonky veg, with many emphasising taste over presentation, realness over blandness and variety over conformity.
The regulations that are being repealed say nothing about taste. But once prejudices are set to one side, that is probably what most people want from their produce, however knobbly.

George Bush's Resignation Speech

PRETTY MUCH SUMS IT UP
BUSH'S RESIGNATION SPEECH
The following 'speech' was written recently by an ordinary Maine-iac [a resident of the People's Republic of Maine ]. While satirical in nature, all satire must have a basis in fact to be effective. This is an excellent piece by a person who does not write for a living.



The speech George W. Bush might give:

Normally, I start these things out by saying 'My Fellow Americans.' Not doing it this time. If the polls are any indication, I don't know who more than half of you are anymore. I do know something terrible has happened, and that you're really not fellow Americans any longer.
I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before anyone gets all in a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution or something, let me assure you: There's been no breaking of laws or impeachable offenses in this office.

The reason I'm quitting is simple. I'm fed up with you people. I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really going on in the world. Or of what's going on in this once-great nation of ours. And the majority of you are too damned lazy to do your homework and figure it out.
Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by politicians and the news media.

Meanwhile, all you can do is whine about gas prices, and most of you are too stupid to realize that gas prices are high because there's increased demand in other parts of the world, and because a small handful of noisy idiots are more worried about polar bears and beachfront property than your economic security.

We face real threats in the world. Don't give me this 'blood for oil' thing. If I were trading blood for oil I would've already seized Iraq 's oil fields and let the rest of the country go to hell. And don't give me this 'Bush Lied...People Died' either. If I were the liar you morons take me for, I could've easily had chemical weapons planted in Iraq so they could be 'discovered.' Instead, I owned up to the fact that the intelligence was faulty.

Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought Saddam had the goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime change in Iraq was official US policy before I came into office. Some guy named ' Clinton ' established that policy. Bet you didn't know that, did you?
Now some of you morons want to be led by a junior senator with no understanding of foreign policy or economics, and this nitwit says we should attack Pakistan , a nuclear ally. And then he wants to go to Iran and make peace with a terrorist who says he's going to destroy us. While he's doing that, he wants to give Iraq to al Qaeda, Afghanistan to the Taliban, Israel to the Palestinians, and your money to the IRS so the government can give welfare to illegal aliens, who he will make into citizens, so they can vote to re-elect him. He also thinks it's okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons, and we should stop our foreign aid to Israel . Did you sleep through high school?

You idiots need to understand that we face a unique enemy. Back during the cold war, there were two major competing political and economic models squaring off. We won that war, but we did so because fundamentally, the Communists wanted to survive, just as we do. We were simply able to out spend and out-tech them.

That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new enemy don't care if they survive. In fact, they want to die. That'd be fine, as long as they weren't also committed to taking as many of you with them as they can. But they are. They want to kill you, and the are all over the globe.

You should be grateful that they haven't gotten any more of us here in the United States since September 11. But you're not. That's because you've got no idea how hard a small number of intelligence, military, law enforcement, and homeland security people have worked to make sure of that. When this whole mess started, I warned you that this would be a long and difficult fight. I'm disappointed how many of you people think a long and difficult fight amounts to a single season of 'Survivor.'

Instead, you've grown impatient. You're incapable of seeing things through the long lens of history, the way our enemies do. You think that wars should last a few months, a few years, tops.

Making matters worse, you actively support those who help the enemy. Every time you buy the New York Times, every time yo u send a donation to a cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well, dang it, you might just as well FedEx a grenade launcher to a Jihadist. It amounts to the same thing.

In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth. It's all over the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York Times, USA Today, or on NBC News. But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any smarter. Most of you would rather watch American Idol or Dancing with Stars.

I co uld say more about your expectations that the government will always be there to bail you out, even if you're too stupid to leave a city that's below sea level and has a hurricane approaching.

I could say more about your insane belief that government, not your own wallet, is where the money comes from. But I've come to the conclusion that were I to do so, it would sail right over your heads.

So I quit. I'm going back to Crawford. I've got an energy-efficient house down there (Al Gore could only dream) and the capability to be fully self-sufficient for years. No one ever heard of Crawford before I got elected, and as soon as I'm done here pretty much no one will ever hear of it again. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to die of old age before the last pillars of America fall.

Oh, and by the way, Cheney's quitting too. That means Pelosi is your new President. You asked for it. Watch what she does carefully, because I still have a glimmer of hope that there are just enough of you remaining who are smart enough to turn this thing around in 2008.

So that's it. God bless what's left of America .

Some of you know what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off.


PS - Yo u might want to start learning Farsi, and buy a Koran.

Here it is

Election time.

Only this time The excitement is not there. In the past 2 presidential elections I've sat on the edge of the chair all night. Not this year. As of 9pm eastern its over. The country is going in the shitter. Socialism is here. The future of our country will soon be ruined forever. Make no mistake this is not about race. This is about a person so ill qualified to lead being put in charge. I am scared for the future. Nobody knows anything about Obama. In fact we know far more about Osama then Obama. Thats scary. The economy will not magically return. In 4 years the country will be in such a sad state that people will be begging to leave. Its not right the way the media jumped on the Obama bandwagon and kept the kid gloves on. They never asked the same questions they did of Bush or even of Gore and Kerry. Its pathetic what the country has become. People blindly following this guy that they know nothing about. His openly racist wife as first lady is just awful. In 1976 I quit eating peanut butter as 9 year old. I've never gone back. I have no idea what I'll quit for this guy as I like the rest of the country no nothing about him and he is now our commander in chief elect.

Go ahead and celebrate. You will all be worse off in the next 4 years as Socialism takes hold. Its not going to be pretty. I like keeping what is mine. You should have like that too. You will find out what Obama stands for when your 401K, SeP IRA, and other retirement accounts are taxed at obscene levels. Better get used to hiding your money in your mattress and buy your guns now as your 2nd Amendment rights will soon be severely curtailed.

Tribute to John McConnell--Columbus Blue Jackets

This was the video shown at the home opener honoring Mr. Mac. It was followed by a great game including a goal on Nikita Filatovs's FIRST SHOT in the NHL. Not bad for the rookie. First Game, First Shot, First Goal. Lets get the D figured out and get this team in the playoffs.

Boeing 787 Animation for American Airlines

Are You Ready for Hockey? CBJ

Are Democrats Blind Followers?--Just Listen....

Is it possible to have 2 cold viruses at once?

I'm telling you its been a tough couple weeks. We've had the virus running around our house for the last couple weeks. I am always slow to recover and in typical form its been about 2 weeks to get over this bug. I'm still coughing and then boom another sore throat. Ten the runny nose and aches. This is not right. I use Purell all the time now, but somehow I'm feeling it again. Sometimes life is not fair. Both kids had hockey today. One at 6:30 am and the other at 10:00 am. Sunday its reversed. One at 7:40 and the other at a more reasonable 1:30. This will go on for the next 4 months. What were we thinking?

I'm going back to bed as Wisconsin has figured out how to beat Ohio State. Pressure Terelle Pryor with a blitz and run it up the middle on offense. If I can figure this out why can't Jim Tressel? Going into halftime he just let Wisconsin back into the game and got the crowd awakened too. The Badgers band has been suspended for "Hazing" and no band at a Big Ten football game is a sure way to help deflate the crowd. Don't worry though as Jim Tressel has the answer..... At least he can beat Michigan regularly.

The 2008-2009 NHL season started today. Will the Columbus Blue Jackets finally reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs? I'm no great predictor, but I'll go against all the so-called experts and say it going to be close. Injuries or the lack of is going to be the key. If Nash and LeClaire stay healthy then there's a good chance. If Voracek and Brassard can play solid games and maintain their pre-season form we've got a chance. If the defensemen can score a total of 35 goals amongst them we've got a chance. As you can see there are a lot of "ifs" to go around. Most "experts" have us anywhere from 10th to 14th in the Western Conference. I even saw one pick us dead last. I don't see that happening, but thats why they play the games. I'll be either at or tuned in to every one of them too. Ice hockey is an amazing sport and I just can't get enough. One more Pre-season game and then Friday night we go to Dallas. I'll be tuned in on the radio as I have to work a local High-School football game. The best of both worlds.

Update: OSU pulled it out with a late drive for a 20-17 win over Wisconsin.

Wonder why the bailout bill failed?

Wonder why the republicans are scared to let the Dems run everything. Watch this and listen to the stupidity.

Coming Soon to a Theater Probably Not Near You

You may have to hunt for this film, but it will be worth it. This has received several awards from film festivals and if word of mouth generates enough of a buzz it could get to some mainstream chains. Ask your local theater to bring in a film like this. It may be the only way this ever even makes it to DVD. This is the short trailer. Its all I could snag at the moment. The longer trailer is available at www.specialthemovie.com and is well worth checking out as it expands on the short trailer above. This is also getting some play on my favorite TV channel HDNet.

Paul Newman -- Champion

I first met Paul many years ago during an SCCA race at Mid-Ohio. He was just another racer. Coming in the back door at registration so that his presence did not cause a commotion and slow things down. That was him. Always in the spotlight, but not wanting to be the spotlight. When word leaked out several months ago that his condition was grave there was nothing from his camp. The next thing you knew the story was being retracted. Only most of us knew that it was true. Time had come for Paul to go. He would do it his way.

About a month ago Paul rented Lime Rock Park in Conn. He wanted to take his race car out for some laps. He ran the GT-1 class Corvette the way he always had. Flat out. This lead some to speculate that maybe things were not as bad as had been reported. We knew better. Paul spent that day saying goodbye to his cars. His crews. His passion. It was a chance to go out on his terms. Here is a photo from that day.


With the news this morning of his passing millions of people will look back at his life and career. Think about their favorite movie with him. That one scene where you knew he was perfect in the role (Slap Shot). Others might look back at his career as a car owner in CART or CAN-AM. Races he ran in SCCA and IMSA. Sitting in his pitbox cheering on Mario/Michael Andretti Sebastian Bourdais, or more recently Graham Rahal. Still others knew him for his charitable work with the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps or Newman's Own dressings and popcorn. The man was complete. Everything he did he did for a reason. It was just time to go. So he did. In his own house with his beloved wife. And the world goes on. Just not as fast. Godspeed PL.

Free WiFi WooHoo

Just a few miles down the road in Powell there is free WiFi in the historic downtown area. You gotta love it. For a couple years I've spent every Wednesday evening sitting around doing nothing while the kids are at piano lessons. Tonight I blogged. Baby steps my friends. Baby Steps.

Oh Yeah... Hockey season has arrived and just in time. The Blue Jackets have decided to actually use some newcomers in preseason games. Sorta like the rest of the NHL. Maybe things are turning around. Baby steps again!

I survived the weekend- barely

I say barely because late last week I caught the virus thats going around. You know slight fever. Crud in the lungs and a cough. General feeling that you are going to die at any moment. Here at our house we all got it and I blame AEP. Yes I blame the electric company because without power we had to wash dishes in cold water and the virus was spread to all of us. Once again a reason to dislike them.

Ok back to reality for a sec. Saturday Poppy had hockey practice and then we had to go shopping for gifts for gift bags and other party gear as its was time to celebrate her 8th birthday with a 'girls only' party. We struggled to come up with the right assortment of goodies, but managed to get it done and get to DQ for an ice cream cake. The party... oh my 8 year old girls on ice. Oh Poppy loved it, but several of the girls had never skated before so it was interesting. After that we headed home for some pizza and gifts. Frudoch on the other hand was like a man alone. None of the girls wanted him around and he did not know what to do.Once they left I crashed out as by that time I was exhausted and felt like mush. Yesterday was nice and slow paced watching Ryder Cup golf and cheering on local hero Ben Curtis in his first Ryder Cup outing.

I'm still feeling it today and in fact after the kids boarded the bus I went back to bed for 2 hours. Hopefully I'll feel better as its now time to restock the 'fridge as both were emptied of their contents. I'm going to bed now.

The Life Before Her Eyes

Check out this film now on DVD. Its trailer looks pretty good.

After 117 Hours......

Electricity was finally restored. Thanks to the CANADIAN crew that fixed the problems. Yeah wait until we get that bill for service...

This is getting OLD. Still no electricity

OK its THURSDAY and I still have NO ELECTRICITY. To make matters worse apparently nobody outside of Ohio and parts of Kentucky even knows about this. I am totally exhausted and pissed. Each day drags on longer and longer. Where are you AEP? To make matters worse according to the local media AEP is going to have to raise the rates to cover the extra expense of paying overtime and bringing in crews from out of state. NICE! Where were all of the AEP crews? Texas. I think I need to buy 2 generators. One to backup the first one I'm gonna buy as soon as things return to normal. I will never be in this position again. Its been over 100 hours without power and I will have to pay extra. UGHHHH.

I can tell you what its like without electricity for 56 hours and counting

Quick post from my parents. We lost power in the hurricane force winds that ripped thru Ohio on Sunday. Its been 57 hours and the electric company says it will be another 5 days. yes 5 MORE days. This is crazy and life is hard without power. I can't get batteries and a GENERATOR? Forget it those are gone to TEXAS. I will sit and wait. There is nothing else to do. My blackberry is my only link to the world--and its tough to recharge without the juice. I've gone more than 2 days without tv or internet. Just wait to hear the fun when the power comes back. Ok back to our cave to rub 2 logs together...

Sukhoi SU-30 and IL-78 in the USA

First off I did not take these photos. I got them from a fellow airshow fan. What we have here are a couple of birds rarely found over the USA. The Sukhoi SU-30 Mk1 and the Ilyushin IL-78. Both of the Indian Air Force. They were here taking part in Red Flag in Las Vegas. These shots were taken in Rockford Illinois on Aug 30. From there they flew to Bangor and all along the way people misidentified them as its not everyday an SU-30 goes ripping overhead. The SU-30 was the answer to the F-15. I wonder how bad it got its ass kicked by the F22 at Red Flag? So here you go. Enjoy them and keep your eyes to the sky...

Finishing up Cleveland Airshow Photos

OK I've blown them up and touched them up and while I might have a few more here and there this is about all for now as far as the jets go.I'll start on the other shots and post as I go. I'm trying to decide whether to go to the Wings of Freedom Airshow next weekend in Middletown Ohio, but with the price of gas and my wife not really "getting" how you can keep going for the same planes, but different locale thing Its only temporary at the moment. I also will have some super cool pics of a couple Indian Air Force jets in the US a couple weeks back for training. Lets just say these were not your typical US sourced warbirds. Oh do I have you interested? Look for those pics this weekend. Ok on to the Cleveland photos....

Dear Obama

Back to MORE Cleveland National Airshow Photos

Cleaned up a few more photos from the airshow. I've got more to come. Please bookmark and check back again. I also have lots posted earlier so go back a few weeks for more from this and other airshows this summer.

You MUST see this film-- Man on Wire

We interrupt this blog for a quick trip to Denver

Yes I am heading west for a few day. We are on our way to a wedding of one of my wife's college roommates. Yeah she waited awhile to get married. As long as the weather holds out I will be back in Ohio on Saturday evening. Yeah I said quick. Too bad there is no In-N-Out Burger in Denver. Well actually we are going to Breckinridge which is something like 9800 ft of elevation. Thats pretty high and the air is thin. I'll take it easy. We are flying Delta thru Atlanta. Cross your fingers for me as we have a really tight connection in ATL. So tight that we are not checking bags. I am crossing my fingers that we are in the same terminal for arriving and departing flights. Oh well. I'm gone. Gotta get up before 6 to catch the flight.

Cleveland Airshow Photos

More Cleveland National Airshow Pics

Now THAT was a great way to end the summer!

Took Poppy and Frudoch up to Cleveland for the airshow. If you missed it and could have been there you are a fool. That was one fantastic airshow. I took about 350 photos and have many to go thru, but I got a few pics for you to see tonight. Lets just say it was well worth the 120 mile drive! Oh yeah the CLK500 got more than 26MPG on the way up and just a fraction less on the way back including the 45 minutes where we only went 3 miles and at that point were averaging around 9MPG. enjoy these pics. Lots more to come in the next few days.

Getting Pumped for Cleveland Air Show

This is what you're missing. Will be back soon.....

Magic Flashlights--Take only what you need

Magic Flashlights from Mike Benson on Vimeo.

This video is fantastic. Check it out.

Honoring Mr. Mac

Hilary Clinton is a Lying Sack of Crap

I can't say sack of Sh!t but the waffling that goes on in the name of U-N-I-T-Y is a load of crap. Thats was self promotion for 2012. Oblahblahma won't win and she is positioning herself already. UNITY my ass. Thats what democrats do. Lie up a storm about what they are going to do and then blame everybody but themselves when it doesn't pan out. W and mcCain are about as far apart as any 2 Republicans. If you dumb dems think Oblahblahma is just going to end the war you are on crack. In all truth McCain will end it sooner. Health insurance for all huh? Yeah we'll see--just like Hilary did when she was president before. I also see that John Edwards was removed from speaking as he had an affair and lied about it. He was replaced by Bill Clinton? You go thinking about how morally correct you are. What's the definition of IS?

Want more proof of Hilary? Check out this photo I saw on TMZ. Having trouble making decisions?

Weekends Come and Go

It's Monday evening and I'm already thinking about the weekend. This past weekend was a blur. Frudoch did the Laura Stamm Powerskating Camp at Chiller Easton. He even managed to forget his shoulder pads on Sunday morning which gave me the opportunity to check out the ultra high speed aspects of the CLK500. Lets just say its glued to the road at 130 mph. I love this car. So last weekend was a blur and this one will be too. Only in another way. I'll be heading up to Cleveland for the Air Show. The blur will once again be of jets at mind numbing speeds. It will be my first opportunity to see the Blue Angels in person. The show will also feature the F-16 Viper demo and F-15C Strike Eagle Demo as well as F/A-18F Super Hornet demo. These jet teams are awesome. We saw Viper east last week at Lancaster and i've seen the F-15 and F/A-18 demos at Chicago and GML among other times. Add in the C-130 and of course the Blue Angels (with Fat Albert the C-130) along with a stellar static display and you have an awesome show. It will be a more than 2 hour drive, but I'll find my way up there and have a blast. Heres a few more pics from Lancaster found on the web.